Buhari returns after two-week foreign trips, Garba Shehu defends borrowing spree
President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Abuja after spending 16 days to attend three major international events in Scotland, France, and South Africa.
The President arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, around 4:45pm, today, after attending the 2nd Intra-African Trade Fair 2021in Durban, South Africa.
He departed Nigeria for Glasgow, Scotland, on Sunday, October 31, 2021, to participate in the 26th edition of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).
President Buhari left Glasgow to equally participate in the Paris Peace Forum (PPF) in France.
Meanwhile, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has said that the recent trip embarked upon by his principal to Durban, South Africa was meant to attract more investments to the country.
This as he insisted that the Buhari administration must borrow more funds as “there is not enough to go round”.
Shehu said this yesterday evening.
He said, “To satisfy ASUU we need more money. We need to bridge the shortfall in the budget by borrowing more money.
“The same way we have ASUU jostling for money, we have soldiers who are being challenged by terrorists, bandits who are challenging the authority of the state, and agitators in several parts of the country who are challenging our sovereignty. And everyone is taking from the same basket.
“But there is not enough to go around. And we need to bridge the budget shortfall. There is an urgency to bridge the shortfall in infrastructure.”
Defending his principal, Shehu said “Buhari is not borrowing because he wants to pocket the money. There is functionality in our borrowing. There is a direct link between what is being borrowed and ongoing projects and the ministries of works, aviation, and transport all bear witness to this.”
